Back in the mid-70s when I was a teacher in Pennsylvania, the school and community wherein I taught suffered a terrible tragedy when a local resident passed a stopped school bus as students were exiting. The driver struck and killed a five-year old boy. The trauma of the loss of the child destroyed the lives of the boy’s family, the driver of the car, and the driver’s family. In addition, the trauma experienced by the other students on the bus and the driver himself no doubt remains despite the passage of over three decades.
I describe this event not only to remind drivers of the peril in which children are placed when drivers fail to stop when they observe the flashing school bus lights, but to relay a situation that occurred this year regarding a Lansing school bus driver that can only be described as heroic.
In early March Lansing school bus driver Anthony (“A.J.) Walrad had stopped his bus on Warren Road to let off a student. A.J. completed all required safety measures (including making sure that the red lights were flashing) before opening the bus doors. Just before opening the door to allow a student to disembark, he looked in his right side mirror and saw a red van attempting to pass the bus on the right hand side. He immediately pulled the student back from the door and slammed it shut. Had he not done so, the student surely would have been struck by the vehicle. It was so close to the bus that it just missed clipping the doors as they closed. He then only opened the bus doors when he was sure that it was safe for the student to exit. He also was astute enough to write down the van’s license plate and reported it to the police. The driver of the van was arrested for passing a school bus whose lights were flashing.
A.J. Walrad is a true hero. His actions that March afternoon prevented a tragic circumstance akin to the one in a community many miles away and many years ago that haunts me to this day. I cannot express deeply enough the gratitude that all of us who are aware of his actions.
A.J. will attend the June 14th board of education meeting (7:30pm in the high school library) in order that we may formally thank him for saving the life of one of our children. I encourage every member of the Lansing school and community to join us at that time to herald a true hero.
----
v3i21
Print 